


Last Visits

by LynFraser09



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6038143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynFraser09/pseuds/LynFraser09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor wasn’t quite sure what led him there. It wasn’t like he’d never been there before, he’d actually been at that one specific spot on Earth more than any place he’d ever been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Visits

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place during the Doctor's 'Farewell Tour' of season 6.

The Doctor wasn’t quite sure what led him there. It wasn’t like he’d never been there before, he’d actually been at that one specific spot on Earth more than any place he’d ever been. It was also a place he thought he said goodbye to just before his last regeneration.

 

The Powell Estates, London, England.

 

The buildings and its occupants hadn’t changed. He was sure of that, it was 2003 after all and he hadn’t stepped foot there until 2005.

 

An insignificant year in the billions of years of Earth’s history but one he’d certainly never forget.

 

His eyes focused immediately on the familiar door, a door he had stepped through too many times to count, greeted  always by an unwanted greeting: a slap, a hug, a kiss, all from the verbose Jackie Tyler.

 

He didn’t want to imagine what Jackie was doing at that moment though he was sure it had to do with getting under somebody’s skin. Probably Rose’s.

 

_Rose._

 

Admittedly, it was a name that hadn’t crossed his mind in a very long while. Amy, Rory and River kept his mind racing and truth be told, he pushed that name to the back of his mind on purpose.

 

He mourned her loss for too long and he was sure now she was happy in that parallel world with his meta-crisis, what good would it do him to dwell about her further?

 

No good at all, he concluded judging by the sudden tightness in his throat and chest.

 

Which led him back to his original train of thought....why was he there?

 

Perhaps he was lonely...he had just let go of Amy and Rory.

 

Though, if he was, certainly there were other people that would be glad to see him. Martha Jones (or was it Smith now?), Sarah Jane, he could have even visited River if he wanted to.

 

But he found himself typing in the familiar coordinates without so much as a thought. It was instinct. Since the first moment he met her, all his trails ended with her. He died for the ninth time looking into her eyes, he died for tenth time in her arms, he died again with his last visit to her. And now perhaps, that he knew his own death date, his _true_ death date, he was there to find her again.

 

He glanced quickly over his shoulder to the TARDIS half hidden in the alley near by, the same alley she’d hidden in a thousand times over. Several parts of his brain told him to just get back in his faithful time machine and continue on with his journey, leaving Rose Tyler and all his memories of her behind.

 

However, he soon found himself walking in the opposite direction towards the door that led up to her flat.

 

His hand paused over the door handle for a long moment and then he quickly withdrew it and took a few steps back. “No, no, you can’t do that.” He muttered to himself.

 

What was he planning on doing anyway? Knock on the door and ask for Rose Tyler? Jackie would ask who the hell he was, what would he say? John Smith from wherever? And if by chance Jackie allowed him in, what would he say to Rose? A young Rose who had no idea who she would become, a Rose who had no idea she was the one of the most important people in his life.

 

“Stupid, stupid Doctor.” He slapped his palm into his forehead.

 

And yet, he still could not turn around and go back to the TARDIS. He leaned forward and pressed his hands against the door, closing his eyes, the internal debate still raging in his powerful brain.

 

He was so lost in his thoughts he completely lost track of the time, he could have been there for hours and not known it. He also failed to notice the two young humans coming up behind him.

 

“Everything all right there, mate?”

 

It was the one voice he never expected to hear and the one he desired more than anything. He slowly lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder, taking in the sight of her. Her hair was more blonde than ever and her face was so young. Perhaps it was him who had just gotten old or the fact that the last time he saw Rose she’d aged so much just in her eyes. The Rose he left on Bad Wolf Bay had seen so much and this Rose had yet to experience it all.

 

Now she was staring at him with her brow raised and her lips slightly parted, it was an expression he’d seen too many times over the two years they’d travelled together.

 

He slowly turned to face her, keeping his eyes locked on her. Her eyes narrowed flickered across him nervously, “Hello? I said are you alright?”

 

The one beside her tugged at her arm, “Come on, Rose.”

 

It was another familiar voice and he broke his stare to glance beside her to find none other than Mickey Smith. He was most certainly not the Mickey he’d seen with Martha, he was good ol’ Mickey-the-idiot, scared of his own two feet.

 

Mickey slipped a protective arm around Rose and he almost laughed. Instead he just smiled and nodded, “Yes, I’m-I’m fine.”

 

Rose raised an eyebrow skeptically and pulled out of Mickey’s embrace taking a step towards him. “You sure? You seem a bit lost.”

 

Oh that was his Rose, always caring, even about a complete stranger.

 

“I’m not lost.” He answered. “My home is....very close.”

 

“Alright then.” Her smile was hesitant. “What’s your name?”

 

‘The Doctor’ was always the first thing that came to mind when he was asked that question and he hated the thought of telling Rose anything despite that.

 

“John.” He answered simply instead.

 

“See you ‘round then, John?”

 

He smiled, delight twinkling in his eyes. Oh yes, she’d definitely be seeing him around. In the form of a damaged, leather wearing, big-eared gruff sort of man but she’d be seeing him.

 

“I hope so.”

 

Rose stared at him in silence for a moment and then slowly a smile spread across her face, her tongue poking out from in between her teeth. He missed that smile and if he truly did have to die he was glad he got to see it one last time.

 

Mickey-the-idiot once more grabbed a hold of Rose’s arm, glaring at him warily. “Your Mum is expecting us...”

 

“It was nice meeting you.” Rose said, a smile still on her face as she was lead towards the door by Mickey.

 

“And you.” He called back with a smile of his own and a small wave. He watched her until she disappeared up the stairs. His bright smile slowly morphed into a small, sad one and he nodded to himself...that was it.

 

“Goodbye Rose Tyler.” He whispered, pressing his fingers to his lips and then turning his hand in the direction of her flat.

 

With a heavy sigh, he turned and shuffled back to the blue box that’d take him to places he needed to be and away from the ones he had to leave behind forever.

 

 

 


End file.
